Vining Plants to Spill Over Balconies

Wisteria vines produce long flower clusters.

Vining plants that spill over the edges of balconies give structures elegant drama. The vines take advantage of empty, unused growing space to fill it with beauty. The long cascading stems form a curtain under the balcony, which shades the area and creates a private space. The best draping vines are not the ones that climb by themselves with tendrils. Choose colors that complement the other garden plants or house colors.

Blue-Flowering Vines

“Blue Moon” Kentucky wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya “Blue Moon”) grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 4 through 9, blooming up to three times each year from late spring through summer. This deciduous North American native vine produces 12-inch-long clusters of pea-like blue flowers on 15- to 25-foot stems. Downy clematis (Clematis macropetala), in USDA zones 4 through 9, grow 10-foot vines covered with green deciduous leaves and bell-shaped purple-blue flowers reaching 1 to 2 inches wide, first appearing in the spring and then again in the late summer. Trim this vine back to 12 inches long at the end of the fall if it outgrows its growing space.

Yellow-Blossoming Vines

Black-eyed Susan vines (Thunbergia alata), in USDA zones 10 and 11, grow 1-1/2-inch flowers made up of five petals surrounding a dark brown center covering 20-foot stems from summer through fall. Double Shot jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) produce semi-evergreen leaves on 10- to 20-foot stems in USDA zones 7 through 9. Clusters of bright yellow trumpet-shaped blooms appear from late winter through spring, and then again in the autumn.

About the Author

Karen Carter spent three years as a technology specialist in the public school system and her writing has appeared in the "Willapa Harbor Herald" and the "Rogue College Byline." She has an Associate of Arts from Rogue Community College with a certificate in computer information systems.